Liquid crystal alignment

ABSTRACT

A liquid crystal device comprises a first cell wall and a second cell wall enclosing a layer of liquid crystal material. The device has electrodes for applying an electric field across at least some of the liquid crystal material, and a surface alignment structure on a region of a substantially planar inner surface of at least the first cell wall. The alignment structure induces the liquid crystal material to adopt a desired alignment in an azimuthal plane. The surface alignment structure comprises a two dimensional array of microstructures which are shaped and oriented to produce the desired alignment. Each microstructure has no plane of symmetry orthogonal to the azimuthal plane and to said planar inner surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is:

-   -   (a) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.        09/816,942, filed Mar. 23, 2001;    -   (b) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.        10/899,818, filed Jul. 27, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S.        patent application Ser. No. 09/815,999, filed Mar. 23, 2001, now        U.S. Pat. No. 6,798,481;    -   (c) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.        09/816,941, filed Mar. 23, 2001; and    -   (d) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.        10/152,099, filed May 21, 2002.        All of the foregoing patent applications are incorporated herein        by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to alignment of liquid crystals in liquidcrystal devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Liquid crystal (LC) materials are rod-like or lath-like molecules whichhave different optical properties along their long and short axes. Themolecules exhibit some long range order so that locally they tend toadopt similar orientations to their neighbours. The local orientation ofthe long axes of the molecules is referred to as the “director”. Thereare three types of LC materials: nematic, cholesteric (chiral-nematic),and smectic. For a liquid crystal to be used in a display device, itmust typically be made to align in a defined manner in the “off” stateand in a different defined manner in the “on” state, so that the displayhas different optical properties in each state. Two principal alignmentsare homeotropic (where the director is substantially perpendicular tothe plane of the cell walls) and planar (where the director is inclinedsubstantially parallel to the plane of the cell walls). In practice,planar alignments may be tilted with respect to the plane of a cellwall, and this tilt can be useful in aiding switching. The presentinvention is concerned with alignment in liquid crystal displays.

Hybrid Aligned Nematic (HAN), Vertical Aligned Nematic (VAN), Twistednematic (TN) and super-twisted nematic (STN) cells are widely used asdisplay devices in consumer and other products. The cells comprise apair of opposed, spaced-apart cell walls with nematic liquid crystalmaterial between them. The walls have transparent electrode patternsthat define pixels between them.

In TN and STN displays, the inner surface of each wall is treated toproduce a planar unidirectional alignment of the nematic director, withthe alignment directions being at 90° to each other. This arrangementcauses the nematic director to describe a quarter helix within the TNcell, so that polarised light is guided through 90° when a pixel is inthe “field off” state. In an STN cell, the nematic liquid crystal isdoped with a chiral additive to produce a helix of shorter pitch whichrotates the plane of polarisation in the “field off” state. The “fieldoff” state may be either white or black, depending on whether the cellis viewed through crossed or parallel polarisers. Applying a voltageacross a pixel causes the nematic director to align normal to the wallsin a homeotropic orientation, so that the plane of polarised light isnot rotated in the “field on” state.

In a HAN cell, one wall is treated to align a nematic LC in ahomeotropic alignment and the other wall is treated to induce a planaralignment, typically with some tilt to facilitate switching. The LC haspositive dielectric anisotropy, and application of an electric fieldcauses the LC directors to align normal to the walls so that the cellswitches from a birefringent “field off” state to a non-birefringent“field on” state.

In the VAN mode, a nematic LC of negative dielectric anisotropy ishomeotropically aligned in the “field off” state, and becomesbirefringent in the “field on” state.

Liquid crystal (LC) planar alignment is typically effected by theunidirectional rubbing of a thin polyimide alignment layer on theinterior of the LC cell, which gives rise to a unidirectional alignmentwith a small pretilt angle. It has been proposed to increase the pretiltangle for a rubbed surface by incorporating small projections in therubbed alignment layer, in “Pretilt angle control of liquid-crystalalignment by using projections on substrate surfaces for dual-domainTN-LCD” T. Yamamoto et al, J. SID, 4/2, 1996.

Whilst having a desirable effect on the optical characteristics of thedevice, the rubbing process is not ideal as this requires many processsteps, and high tolerance control of the rubbing parameters is needed togive uniform display substrates. Moreover, rubbing may cause static andmechanical damage of active matrix elements which sit under thealignment layer. Rubbing also produces dust, which is detrimental todisplay manufacture.

Photoalignment techniques have recently been introduced whereby exposureof certain polymer coating to polarised UV light can induce planaralignment. This avoids some of the problems with rubbing, but thecoatings are sensitive to LC materials, and typically produce only lowpre-tilt angles.

An alternative is to use patterned oblique evaporation of silicon oxide(SiO) to form the alignment layer. This also effects a desired opticalresponse; however the process is complicated by the addition of vacuumdeposition and a lithography process. Moreover, control of processparameters for SiO evaporation is critical to give uniformity, which istypically difficult to achieve over large areas.

A useful summary of methods of aligning liquid crystals is given in“Alignment of Nematic Liquid Crystals and Their Mixtures”, J. Cognard,Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 1-78 (1982) Supplement 1.

The use of surface microstructures to align LCs has been known for manyyears, for example as described in “The Alignment of Liquid Crystals byGrooved Surfaces” D. W. Berriman, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 23 215-2311973.

It is believed that the mechanism of planar alignment involves the LCmolecules aligning along the grooves to minimise distortion energyderived from deforming the LC material. Such grooves may be provided bya monograting formed in a photoresist or other suitable material.

It has been proposed in GB 2 286 467 to provide a sinusoidal bigratingon at least one cell wall, by exposing a photopolymer to an interferencepattern of light generated by a laser. The bigrating permits the LCmolecules to lie in two different planar angular directions, for example45° or 90° apart. An asymmetric bigrating structure can cause tilt inone or both angular directions. Other examples of alignment by gratingsare described in WO 96/24880, WO 97/14990 WO 99/34251, and “The liquidcrystal alignment properties of photolithographic gratings”, J. Chengand G. D. Boyd, Appl. Phys. Lett. 35 (6) 15 Sep. 1979. In “MechanicallyBistable Liquid-Crystal Display Structures”, R. N. Thurston et al, IEEEtrans. on Electron Devices, Vol. ED-27 No 11, November 1980, LC planaralignment by a periodic array of square structures is theorised.

LC homeotropic alignment is also a difficult process to control,typically using a chemical treatment of the surface, such as lecithin ora chrome complex. These chemical treatments may not be stable over time,and may not adhere very uniformly to the surface to be treated.Homeotropic alignment has been achieved by the use of special polyimideresins (Japan Synthetic Rubber Co). These polyimides need hightemperature curing which may not be desirable for low glass transitionplastic substrates. Inorganic oxide layers may induce homeotropicalignment if deposited at suitable angles. This requires vacuumprocesses which are subject to the problems discussed above in relationto planar alignment. Another possibility for producing homeotropicalignment is to use a low surface energy material such as PTFE. However,PTFE gives only weak control of alignment angle and may be difficult toprocess.

It is desirable to have a more controllable and manufacturable alignmentfor LC devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We have surprisingly found that the orientation of the director isinduced principally by the geometry of surface features in an array,rather than by the array or lattice itself. This is counter to what hasbeen assumed so far in this field.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a liquidcrystal device comprising a first cell wall and a second cell wallenclosing a layer of liquid crystal material;

electrodes for applying an electric field across at least some of theliquid crystal material; and

a surface alignment structure on a region of a substantially planarinner surface of at least the first cell wall, the alignment structureinducing the liquid crystal material in said region to adopt a desiredalignment in an azimuthal plane,

wherein said surface alignment structure comprises a two dimensionalarray of microstructures which are shaped and oriented to produce thedesired alignment, each microstructure extending to a distance of atleast about 150 nm normal to said planar inner surface and having noplane of symmetry orthogonal to said azimuthal plane and to said planarinner surface; but not including any device in which the surfacealignment structure comprises a sinusoidal bigrating.

The microstructures are posts which project from an inner surface of thefirst cell wall, or blind holes which are formed in a layer of materialon the first cell wall. The microstructures may have walls which extendorthogonally to the planar inner surface, or which are tilted withrespect to the planar inner surface. Tilting helps to remove degeneratealignment states, but we have found that this effect can also beachieved by forming non-tilted or orthogonal microstructures of suitablecross sectional shape. Thus the vertical distance from the planar innersurface along which a microstructure extends may be the length of thewalls defining the microstructure, or the microstructure may be longerthan the vertical height by being tilted with respect to the planarinner surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the cross sectional shape of themicrostructures in a plane parallel to the planar inner surface has norotational symmetry. It will be understood that the term “no rotationalsymmetry” is used herein to mean that the shape is changed when it isturned less than 360° about a fixed point.

The term “azimuthal direction” is used herein as follows. Let the wallsof a cell lie in the x,y plane, so that the normal to the cell walls isthe z axis. Two tilt angles in the same azimuthal direction means twodifferent director orientations in the same x,z plane, where x is takenas the projection of the director onto the x,y plane. That projection isthe “azimuthal direction” of the LC alignment. The term “azimuthalplane” is used herein to refer to a plane which includes the azimuthaldirection and is orthogonal to the plane of the surface of the firstcell wall. The term “tilt angle” is used herein to refer to the anglebetween the director and the plane of the cell wall. The term “tiltangle polarity” is used herein as follows. Within a given azimuthalplane, an LC director which is tilted with respect to the plane of thefirst cell wall will have a point of intersection with the plane of asurface of the first cell wall. From that point of intersection, thedirector can project away from the first cell wall with one of two tiltpolarities. For example, for an azimuthal plane along the x axis, withthe director intersecting the plane of the cell wall at x=0, thedirector can project away from the cell wall in the direction +x or −x,corresponding to the two tilt polarities. Tilt angle polarity may bedetermined by measuring the angle α between the azimuthal direction ofthe LC alignment and the director. FIG. 30 illustrates two differenttilt polarities in an azimuthal plane for a given tilt angle α. α ismeasured in (for example) the counterclockwise direction from theazimuthal direction (along the x axis) to the director 24. If α=<90°then the tilt angle=α and the tilt polarity is positive. If α>90° thenthe tilt angle=α−180° and the tilt polarity is negative. It will beunderstood that the LC director may adopt more than one tilt anglewithin a single tilt polarity.

We have found that microstructures will induce both tilt polaritiesunless there is no plane of symmetry orthogonal to the azimuthal planeand the planar inner surface. There are several ways to achieve LCmicrostructural alignment having only a single tilt polarity (althoughpossibly with different tilt angles). One way is to tilt the posts orholes to lift the degeneracy. Another way is to use posts or holes whichare not tilted but which have a cross sectional shape which has no planeof symmetry orthogonal to the azimuthal plane and to the planar innersurface. There are many practical ways in which microstructures withthese symmetry properties can be realised: for example a post with ateardrop-shaped cross section, or a post formed with a lump at its base,on one side, where the lump could be much shorter than the post. Byusing such microstructures we have found that it is possible to induceLC alignment with a single tilt angle polarity even when themicrostructures have walls which extend substantially orthogonally fromthe plane of the cell walls. This enables a well-defined tiltedalignment to be induced by non-tilted posts or holes. Suchmicrostructures are easier to fabricate over large areas than tiltedmicrostructures.

Other aspects of the invention provide a cell wall for use inmanufacturing the device, methods of manufacturing the cell wall, and amethod of manufacturing the device.

Each microstructure is preferably a discrete structure, but neighbouringmicrostructures could be connected together by webs of material at theirbases as a results of their manufacturing process.

A post or hole deforms an LC director. That deformation propagatesthrough the cell to define an overall alignment. When eachmicrostructure in the cell has the same size, shape and orientation,that alignment will be in one discrete azimuthal direction. There willbe a single tilt polarity, although more than one tilt angle may bepossible. Where different regions of the cell have microstructures ofdifferent shape, size or orientation, the alignment direction and/ortilt polarity may vary from one region to another.

The azimuthal alignment direction is determined by the shape of themicrostructure. For a square microstructure there are two suchdirections, along the two diagonals. For a triangular cross-sectionthere are three directions. For other shapes there may be more thanthree. If there is more than one stable azimuthal direction then one ormore of them can be favoured by tilting of the microstructure, or bysuitable adjustment of the shape to remove reflection symmetry in aplane orthogonal to the azimuthal plane and to the planar inner surface.For an equilateral triangular post there are three director alignmentspossible which are equal energy, each of which is parallel to a linewhich bisects the triangle into equal halves. By elongating thetriangle, one director orientation may be favoured, which will definethe azimuthal direction. For example, an isosceles triangle will favoura director alignment along the major axis of the triangle, which willdefine the azimuthal plane. Depending on the height of the posts, the LCadopts a tilted alignment with a single tilt polarity. If the innersurface of the second cell wall is treated to give local homeotropicalignment, application of an electric field will cause LC molecules ofpositive dielectric anisotropy to line up with the field in ahomeotropic orientation. The cell therefore functions in a HAN mode. Byproviding a different planar alignment on the second cell wall, whichcould also be posts, other display modes could also be used, for exampleTN or (with a chirally doped LC material) STN mode.

Similar considerations apply for both posts and holes. For convenience,the invention will be further described herein with reference toalignment by posts.

In a preferred embodiment, the cross sectional shape has one axissubstantially longer than the others, which will typically determine theazimuthal direction of the local LC alignment.

In addition to the azimuthal direction the posts can induce well definedtilt angles. A short post will tend to induce an alignment closer to aplanar alignment. We find that taller posts tend to induce higher tiltangles and in the limit result in substantially homeotropic alignment.The tilt angle can be tuned by suitably adjusting the post shape orsize, or the orientation of at least one of the post walls.

For intermediate post heights we have found that there are two stablealignments which differ in their tilt angle but have the same azimuthalalignment direction. We refer to this as the “Post Aligned BistableNematic” (PABN) mode. Similar alignment by holes is referred to as “HoleAligned Bistable Nematic” (HABN) mode.

By providing a plurality of upstanding tall or thin posts on at leastthe first cell wall, the liquid crystal molecules can be induced toadopt a state in which the director is substantially parallel to theplane of the local surface of the posts, and normal to the plane of thecell walls. The more closely packed the posts, the more the alignmentwill tend to be normal to the plane of the cell walls.

By providing posts of suitable dimensions and spacing, a wide range ofalignment directions, from tilted planar to tilted homeotropic, caneasily be achieved, and various aspects of the invention may thereforebe used in desired LC display modes.

The preferred height for the posts will depend on factors such as thedesired alignment and the cell gap. A typical height range is around 0.5to 5 μm, notably 1.0 to 1.2 μm for bistable alignments (assuming a 3 μmcell gap) and taller for tilted homeotropic and homeotropic alignments.

Because the local director orientation is determined by the geometry ofthe posts, the array need not be a regular array. In a preferredembodiment, the posts are arranged in a random or pseudorandom arrayinstead of in a regular lattice. This arrangement has the benefit ofeliminating diffraction colours which may result from the use of regularstructures. Such an array can act as a diffuser, which may remove theneed for an external diffuser in some displays. Of course, if adiffraction colour is desired in the display, the array may be maderegular, and the posts may be spaced at intervals which produce thedesired interference effect. Thus, the structure may be separatelyoptimised to give the required alignment and also to mitigate or enhancethe optical effect that results from a textured surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the upstanding features are formed from aphotoresist material or a plastics material.

The posts may be formed by any suitable means; for example byphotolithography, embossing, casting, injection moulding, or transferfrom a carrier layer. Embossing into a plastics material is desirablebecause this permits the posts to be formed simply and at low cost.Suitable plastics materials will be well known to those skilled the art,for example poly(methyl methacrylate).

The preferred height for the posts will depend on factors such as thecell thickness, the thickness and number of the posts, and the LCmaterial. For homeotropic alignment, the posts preferably have avertical height which is at least equal to the average post spacing.Some or all of the posts may span the entire cell, so that they alsofunction as spacers.

It is preferred that one electrode structure (typically a transparentconductor such as indium tin oxide) is provided on the inner surface ofeach cell wall in known manner. For example, the first cell wall may beprovided with a plurality of “row” electrodes and the second cell wallmay be provided with a plurality of “column” electrodes. However, forsome display modes it would also be possible to provided planar(interdigitated) electrode structures on one wall only, preferably thefirst cell wall. It will be understood that a microstructure may beprovided wholly or partially on top of an electrode structure as well asadjacent to an electrode structures.

The cell walls are preferably spaced apart from each other by a cell gapwhich is less than 15 μm, notably by a gap which is less than 5 μm.

The inner surface of the second cell wall could have low surface energyso that it exhibits little or no tendency to cause any particular typeof alignment, so that the alignment of the director is determinedessentially by the microstructures on the first cell wall. However, itis preferred that the inner surface of the second cell wall is providedwith a surface alignment to induce a desired alignment of the localdirector. This alignment may be homeotropic, planar or tilted. Thealignment may be provided by an array of features of suitable shapeand/or orientation, or by conventional means, for example rubbing,photoalignment, a monograting, or by treating the surface of the wallwith an agent to induce homeotropic alignment.

The shape of the microstructures is such as to favour only one azimuthaldirector orientation within the region. The orientation may be the samefor each region, or the orientation may vary from region to region so asto give a scattering effect in one of the two states or to improve theviewing angle. Using non-tilted posts or holes to achieve a local LCalignment with a single tilt angle polarity allows easy formation ofsmall domains of microstuctures with different azimuthal alignmentdirections, by changing the orientation of the microstructures from oneregion to another. This effect cannot be readily achieved using tiltedposts because it is difficult to fabricate arrays of posts havingdifferent tilt directions in different regions by conventionalphotolithographic techniques.

The liquid crystal device will typically be used as a display device,and will be provided with means for distinguishing between switched andunswitched states, for example polarisers or a dichroic dye.

The cell walls may be formed from a non-flexible material such as glass,or from rigid or flexible plastics materials which will be well known tothose skilled in the art of LC display manufacture, for example polyether sulphone (PES), poly ether ether ketone (PEEK), or poly(ethyleneterephthalate) (PET).

For many displays, it is desirable to have a uniform alignmentthroughout the field of view. For such displays, the posts may all be ofsubstantially the same shape, size, orientation and tilt angle. However,where variation in alignment is desired these factors, or any of them,may be varied to produced desired effects. For example, the posts mayhave different orientations in different regions where differentalignment directions are desired. A TN cell with quartered sub-pixels isan example of a display mode which requires such different orientations.If the dimensions of the posts are varied, the strengths of interactionswith the LC will vary, and may provide a greyscale. Similarly, variationof the shape of the posts will vary the strength of interaction with theLC.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described by way of example, withreference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross section through a single post and thesurrounding LC in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows schematic views of a cross section through a single postand the surrounding LC of a bistable nematic device in accordance withone aspect of the present invention, along one of the diagonals of apost, in different states;

FIG. 3 shows schematic views of a cross section through a single postand the surrounding LC of a bistable nematic device in accordance withanother aspect of the present invention, along one of the diagonals of apost, in different states; FIG. 4 is a plan view of a unit cell of adevice in accordance with the present invention, having posts in apseudorandom array;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show change in transmission of an experimental cell inaccordance with the invention, as a function of pulse length andamplitude, for bistable switching between two states;

FIGS. 7 to 10 are SEM photomicrographs of arrays of posts used in themanufacture of liquid crystal devices in accordance with the invention;

FIGS. 11 to 17 are views of different arrays of features of devices inaccordance with further embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of a teardrop-shaped post in accordance withanother aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the post of FIG. 18;

FIGS. 20 and 23 are SEM photomicrographs of arrays of posts for use inthe manufacture of liquid crystal devices in accordance with an aspectof the present invention;

FIG. 21 shows LC alignment for an array of posts in a display inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 22 is a photomicrograph from a polarizing microscope of a liquidcrystal display device in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 24 is a graph of light transmission against pulse amplitude for aliquid crystal display device in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 25 shows SEM photomicrographs of masks for making alignment postsin accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 26 shows schematic views of a cross section through a single postand the surrounding LC of a bistable nematic device in accordance withan aspect of the invention, along one of the diagonals of a post, indifferent states;

FIGS. 27 and 28 are SEM photomicrographs showing arrays of holes formedfrom a plastics material, in accordance with further aspects of theinvention;

FIG. 29 shows examples of cross sectional or base shapes for a varietyof alignment posts for use in liquid crystal display devices inaccordance with yet further aspects of the invention; and

FIG. 30 illustrates two different tilt angle polarities for an LCdirector in a single azimuthal direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The bistable nematic cell shown schematically in FIG. 2 comprises afirst cell wall 2 and a second cell wall 4 which enclose a layer ofnematic LC material of negative dielectric anisotropy. The cross sectionis in the x,y plane. The ellipses represent the LC molecules with thelong axis corresponding to the local director. The inner surface of eachcell wall is provided with a transparent electrode pattern, for examplerow electrodes 12 on the first cell wall 2 and column electrodes 14 onthe second cell wall 4, in a known manner.

The inner surface of the first cell wall 2 is textured with a regulararray of square posts 10, and the inner surface of the second cell wall4 is flat. The posts 10 are approximately 1 μm high and the cell gap istypically 3 μm. The flat surface is treated to give homeotropicalignment. The posts are not homeotropically treated. The surface ofeach post, if provided on a flat plane, would not tend to induce strongalignment in an adjacent LC material. The alignment local to the surfacewould tend to be generally planar, but without a unique orientationdirection. By forming alignment posts 10, however, the shape andorientation of the posts can provide a single desired LC alignment.

Such an array of square posts has two preferred alignment directions inthe azimuthal plane. These are along the two diagonals of the post. FIG.1 shows a cross-section through a post with the LC distorted around it,from one corner to the diagonally opposite one. This alignment aroundthe post then tends to seed the alignment of the LC above the post suchthat the average orientation is also along that diagonal.

By shaping the posts appropriately, or by tilting the posts along one ofthe diagonals (FIG. 2) it is possible to favour that alignmentdirection. Through computer simulation of this geometry we found thatalthough there is only one azimuthal alignment direction there may infact be two states with similar energies but which differ in how muchthe LC tilts. FIG. 2 is a schematic of the two states. In one state(shown on the left of FIG. 2) the LC is highly tilted, and in the otherit is planar around the posts. The exact nature of the LC orientationdepends on the details of the structure, but for a range of parametersthere are two distinct states with different magnitudes of tilt awayfrom the cell wall. The two states may be distinguished by viewingthrough a polariser 8 and an analyser 6. The low tilt state has highbirefringence and the high tilt state has low birefringence. Incliningthe posts sufficiently along the diagonal also serves to eliminatereverse tilt states, ie to favour a single tilt angle polarity.Preferably the posts are tilted by at least 5°, depending on the natureof the LC and the cell gap.

Without limiting the scope of the invention in any way, we think thatthe two states may arise because of the way in which the LC is deformedby the post. Flowing around a post causes regions of high energy densityat the leading and trailing edges of the post where there is a sharpchange in direction. This can be seen in FIG. 1 at the bottom left andtop right corners of the post. This energy density is reduced if the LCmolecules are tilted because there is a less severe direction change.This is clear in the limit of the molecules being homeotropic throughoutthe cell. In that case there is no region of high distortion at the postedges. In the higher tilt state this deformation energy is thereforereduced, but at the expense of a higher bend/splay deformation energy atthe base of the posts. The LC in contact with the flat surface betweenposts is untilted but undergoes a sharp change of direction as it adoptsthe tilt around the post.

In the low tilt state the energy is balanced in the opposite sense, withthe high deformation around the leading and trailing edges of the postbeing partially balanced by the lack of the bend/splay deformation atthe base of the post because the tilt is uniform around the post. Ourcomputer simulations suggest that, for the current configuration, thehigher tilt state is the lower energy state.

This is supported by observations of actual cells. When viewed at anappropriate angle between crossed polarisers the cells always cool intothe darker of the two states. The state adopted on cooling from theisotropic state is expected to be the lowest energy state. From FIG. 2it would appear that the high tilt state will have lower birefringenceand therefore appear darker than the low tilt state. The exact amount oftilt in the high tilt state will be a function of the elastic constantsof the LC material and the planar anchoring energy of the post material.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a computer-generated model of LCalignment around a square post similar to that shown in FIG. 2, but withthe inner surface of the second cell wall treated to give planaralignment. In the state shown in the left in FIG. 3, the local directoris highly tilted, and in the other it is planar around the posts. Aswith the cell of FIG. 2, switching between the two states is achieved bythe application of suitable electrical signals.

FIG. 4 shows a pseudorandom array of posts for an alternative embodimentof the invention, which provides bistable switching without interferenceeffects. Each square post is about 0.8×0.8 μm, and the pseudorandomarray has a repeat distance of 56 μm.

Cell Manufacture

A clean glass substrate 2 coated with Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) was takenand electrode patterns 12 were formed using conventional lithographicand wet etch procedures. The substrate was spin-coated with a suitablephotoresist (Shipley S1813) to a final thickness of 1.3 μm.

A photomask (Compugraphics International PLC) with an array ofsuitably-dimensioned square opaque regions in a square array, wasbrought into hard contact with the substrate and a suitable UV sourcewas used to expose the photoresist for 10 s at ˜100 mW/cm². Thesubstrate was developed using Microposit Developer diluted 1:1 withdeionised water for approximately 20 s and rinsed dry. The substrate wasflood exposed using a 365 nm UV source for 3 minutes at 30 mW/cm², andhardbaked at 85° C. for 12 hours. The substrate was then deep UV curedusing a 254 nm UV source at ˜50 mW/cm² for 1 hour. By exposing throughthe mask using a UV source at an offset angle to the normal to the planeof the cell wall, tilted posts could be produced. The tilt angle (orblaze angle) is related to the offset angle by Snell's law. Exposure tothe developer will also affect the shape of the posts.

A second clean ITO substrate 4 with electrode patterns 14 was taken andtreated to give a homeotropic alignment of the liquid crystal using astearyl-carboxy-chromium complex, in a known manner.

An LC test cell was formed by bringing the substrates together usingsuitable spacer beads (Micropearl) contained in UV curing glue (NorlandOptical Adhesives N73) around the periphery of the substrates 2, 4, andcured using 365 nm UV source. The cell was capillary filled with anematic liquid crystal mixture (Merck ZLI 4788-000). Methods of spacing,assembling and filling LC cells are well known to those skilled in theart of LCD manufacture, and such conventional methods may also be usedin the spacing, assembling and filling of devices in accordance with thepresent invention.

Experimental Results

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the switching response of a bistable cell recorded at42.5° C. The cell had the following characteristics:

-   spacing: 3 μm-   post height: 1.4 μm-   gap between posts: 0.7 μm-   offset angle: 12°-   LC: ZLI 4788-000 (Merck) doped with 3% N65 (Norland).

It was found that adding a small quantity of surfactant oligomer to theLC improved the switching. It is known that switching in conventional LCdevices can be improved by addition of surfactant oligomers to the LC.See, for example, G P Bryan-Brown, E L Wood and I C Sage, Nature Vol.399 p 338 1999. We doped the LC with N65 UV-curable glue (from Norland)and cured it while in the isotropic phase. The doped LC was then massfiltered to remove the longer chain lengths. We found that adding 3% byweight of N65 to the LC was optimum.

DC balanced monopolar pulses were applied to the cell and the effect onthe transmission was recorded. Each test pulse was of an amplitude V anda duration τ, and was followed by another pulse of opposite polarity butwith an amplitude about 5% of V, but a duration 20 times longer. Thesecond pulse was too small to cause switching but did prevent a build upof charge in the cell after many test pulses. FIGS. 5 and 6 show thechange in transmission as a function of the pulse length and amplitude.FIG. 5 shows results for switching from the high energy state to the lowenergy state, and FIG. 6 shows results for switching in the oppositedirection. Black indicates that the transmission had changed so that thecell is switched. White indicates no change in transmission so that noswitching has occurred.

Switching from the high energy state to the low energy state isgenerally sign independent indicating that in this direction switchingis taking place via the dielectric anisotropy. Switching in the otherdirection is sign dependent indicating that the switching is mediated bya linear electro-optic effect. We believe this is likely to be theflexoelectric effect. In FIG. 5, the non-switching region coincides withthe switching region in FIG. 6. This suggests that switching from thehigh energy state to the low energy state is impeded by theflexoelectric effect.

In a series of further experiments we have varied the cell parameters togo some way towards optimising the switching characteristics of thedevice. A preferred cell structure is: cell gap 3 μm; post size 1 μm;offset angle 5° along one of the diagonals of the post; 1.1 μm coatingof s1813; N65 initial concentration 3%.

SEM Studies of Post Arrays

SEMs of experimental post arrays formed using masks with square opaqueregions are shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. The posts in FIGS. 7 and 8 wereformed using 0.7 μm square opaque regions 90% s1813, and a 50 offsetangle. The 0.7 μm “square” posts are not very square, havingconsiderably rounded tops. The bases of the posts are much less roundedthan the tops of the posts. This is consistent with the rounding beingdue to the development process. The tops of the posts are exposed to thedeveloper for a longer time than the bases. They are therefore moresusceptible to attack. Even the unexposed resist that makes up the postswill have some finite solubility in the resist, and the effect will beto attack sharp features such as corners first. Larger posts show muchless rounding off; for example FIG. 9 shows some 2 μm posts.

Computer Simulations with Rounded Posts

We have generated computer models that look very similar to the 0.7 μmrounded posts of FIGS. 7 and 8. Even though the posts are far from theidealised square posts that we had used in previous simulations, thesemore realistic posts still give the same states, aligned along theblazed diagonals, but with two different magnitudes of tilt. Theenergies of the two states are slightly lower than before, but thetilted state still has the lowest energy. It seems that it is notessential to have sharp edges to the posts. The two states are believedto arise because of the way that the LC is distorted around a post (aspreviously discussed). This will be true whatever the shape of thecross-section of the post. Even cylindrical posts should give the sametwo zenithal alignments. However, with cylindrical symmetry there isnothing to fix the azimuthal alignment of the LC—all directions will bedegenerate. The posts need to have some asymmetry to lift thisdegeneracy. This could be for example an elliptical, diamond or squarecross section with a small amount of blaze. Examples of elliptical postsare given in FIG. 11, those on the right hand side having an overhang.Referring now to FIG. 12, examples are shown wherein the shape and/ororientation of the posts is such as to favour only one azimuthaldirector orientation adjacent the posts. In the embodiment on the leftside of FIG. 12, this orientation varies from post to post so as to givea scattering effect in one of the two states. In the embodiment shown onthe right side of FIG. 12, the azimuthal director orientation is uniformacross the display, but the tilt angle of the posts varies, which mayprovide a greyscale.

FIGS. 13 to 17 show perspective views of posts of devices in accordancewith alternative embodiments of the invention. The posts are arranged inpseudorandom arrays. In FIG. 13, elliptical posts are shown, with thelong axes of the ellipses parallel. Depending on their height, the postsproduce either a uniform planar alignment, a bistable or multistablealignment (planar or tilted), or a homeotropic alignment (which may betilted). In FIG. 14, elliptical posts are randomly orientated, providingan alignment structure in which there is no strongly preferred longrange orientation of the nematic director. It is envisaged that thisstructure and others like it may be used with an LC material of positivedielectric anisotropy in a display with a scattering mode. FIG. 15illustrates an arrangement of posts of a plurality of shapes and sizeswhich may be used to give controlled alignment in different areas, anddifferent effects such as greyscale. Other arrangements and effects areof course possible. For example, the posts may be different heights indifferent regions, as illustrated in FIG. 17, which also shows differentpost sizes and orientations in a pseudorandom arrangement. In a HANdisplay mode, varying the post height will give a variation in theswitching performance. The posts in FIG. 16 are tilted at differentangles in different regions of the display, thereby producing differenttilt angles in the LC alignment and the possibility of producing agreyscale, for example in a HAN mode.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, an alignment post 10 for use inanother embodiment of the present invention is shown. The post 10extends perpendicularly to the plane of a cell wall surface and has anelongate cross sectional shape 16 which has no rotational symmetry. Theshape 16, which in this embodiment is the shape of the top and the baseof the post 10, has a narrow portion 15 at one end and a broader,rounded portion 17 at an opposite end. This shape will be referred tofor convenience as a teardrop shape.

The shape 16 has a unique long axis 18 about which it is substantiallysymmetrical (this feature being preferred but not essential) and LCalignment along which minimizes distortion. If the shape 16 had a planeof symmetry orthogonal to the long axis 18 (which here defines theazimuthal plane) and to the plane of the cell walls, such as the squareposts described earlier, then either of two tilt polarities along thelong axis 18 would be possible and of equal energy. To lift thedegeneracy, square posts may be tilted as previously described. However,for the post of shape 16, which has no plane of symmetry orthogonal tothe azimuthal plane and to the plane of the cell walls, the two tiltpolarities are not of equal energy, even for a post 10 with wallsperpendicular to the plane of the cell wall surface. We find that, inthe vertical direction, the two different tilt polarities aregeometrically and energetically distinct, giving rise to a unique tiltedLC alignment.

FIG. 20 shows some actual non-tilted posts with a teardrop cross sectionmade by imprinting into a UV curable polymer using a master made by hardcontact photolithography. To test the LC alignment we made a test deviceusing the post structures shown in FIG. 20 on one inner surface and ahomeotropic alignment material on the other inner surface. The liquidcrystal mixture was as described above under Experimental Results butincluding 1% by weight of TMP (trimethylolpropanetris(3-mercaptopropionate)) additive instead of 3% N65.

We found that we got good alignment as shown in FIG. 22. If thealignment were not in a unique direction then we would have obtainedlots of dark domain walls similar to the one in the middle of FIG. 22.In this case the domain wall is pinned on a line defect in the array ofteardrop posts.

Some examples of masks for making different teardrop-shaped alignmentposts are illustrated in the SEMs shown in FIG. 25. We expect that anycross-sectional shape that has the same symmetry properties as theteardrop will have the same properties of being able to give goodalignment to the LC without the post or hole having to be tilted. Somenon-limiting example shapes are illustrated in FIG. 29.

For all of the posts and holes which we have made to date having thespecified shape with no plane of symmetry orthogonal to the azimuthalplane and to the plane of the cell wall surfaces, we have found that theLC aligns along the longest direction. The SEM of FIG. 21 shows aparticular case, with the LC aligning along the direction indicated bythe dotted line 18. The LC tilts out of the page, as indicated by thearrow 20. On average the LC tilts from the tail of the arrow towards thearrow head, with the arrow head being higher above the substrate thanthe tail.

Suitable teardrop alignment posts may be formed by embossing a plasticsmaterial. Arrays of such posts are shown in FIGS. 20, 21 and 23.Suitable imprinting or embossing processes are well known per se, forexample as disclosed in Unconventional Methods for Fabricating andPatterning Nanostructures, Youan Xia et al, Chem. Rev. 1999, 99,1823-1848, Soft Lithography, Youan Xia and George M. Whitesides, Agnew.Chem. Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 550-575, U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,059, U.S. Pat. No.4,294,782, U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,296, U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,315, thecontents of each of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. Thebasic process is:

-   -   a) Make a copy of the master to form a stamp—this has the        inverse of the microstructure on the master. The stamp can be        formed from elastomers, polymers or even metal.    -   b) The stamp is then imprinted into a polymer layer on the        display substrate. Thermal imprinting can be used to imprint        into a thermoplastic or, more commonly, a liquid UV-curable        polymer. In the latter case, the liquid makes contact with the        stamp, takes up the shape of the microstructure relief and is        then cured by exposure to UV light. The stamp is then separated        from the substrate, leaving behind a copy of the original        master.

A similar process is used to make alignment holes.

-   -   a) Start with a post master.    -   b) Make a stamp.    -   c) Then make a second generation stamp, effectively using the        first stamp as a master. This second generation stamp has the        same sense of microstructure as the original master—ie, posts.        When this is imprinted into the UV-curable material the        resulting microstructure will be the inverse of the master—ie,        holes 22. Some examples of alignment holes 22 which are suitable        for use in the invention are shown in the SEM photomicrographs        of FIGS. 27 and 28, formed by imprinting. Bistable displays have        been formed using either posts or holes having the specified        shape.

The two bistable alignment states for the orthogonal teardrop alignmentposts 10 are illustrated schematically in FIG. 26. Switching results areshown in FIG. 24. The testing method was as follows:

-   -   a) Apply a reset pulse to set the device into one of the        states—in this case the dark state.    -   b) Apply a test pulse. In this set of results the length of the        pulse is fixed and we are just varying the amplitude. In all        cases the test pulse is a symmetric bipolar square wave pulse        with a total duration of 0.8 ms.    -   c) Wait until any transients have settled down to ensure that we        are measuring the transmission of a stable state, with no        voltage applied. Typically we wait for 1 second.    -   d) Measure the light transmission.    -   e) Go back to the first step and repeat, increasing the        amplitude of the pulse each time.

At a high enough voltage the device latches into the light state, whichis stable after the voltage is removed.

The articles “a” and “an” when used herein denote “at least one” wherethe context permits.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, forclarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also beprovided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures of the invention which are, for brevity, described in thecontext of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately, or inany suitable combination.

It is to be recognized that various alterations, modifications, and/oradditions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements ofparts described above without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

1. A liquid crystal device comprising a first cell wall and a secondcell wall enclosing a layer of liquid crystal material; electrodes forapplying an electric field across at least some of the liquid crystalmaterial; and a surface alignment structure on a region of asubstantially planar inner surface of at least the first cell wall, thealignment structure inducing the liquid crystal material in said regionto adopt a desired alignment in an azimuthal plane, wherein said surfacealignment structure comprises a two dimensional array of microstructureswhich are shaped and oriented to produce the desired alignment, eachmicrostructure extending to a distance of at least about 150 nm normalto said planar inner surface and having no plane of symmetry orthogonalto said azimuthal plane and to said planar inner surface; but notincluding any device in which the surface alignment structure comprisesa sinusoidal bigrating.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein eachmicrostructure is defined by walls which extend substantiallyorthogonally to said planar inner surface.
 3. A device according toclaim 1, wherein each microstructure has a cross sectional shape in aplane parallel to said planar inner surface, said cross sectional shapehaving no rotational symmetry.
 4. A device according to claim 3, whereinsaid cross sectional shape has a unique long axis.
 5. A device accordingto claim 4, wherein said cross sectional shape has a line of symmetryincluding said long axis.
 6. A device according to claim 1, wherein theshape and orientation of the microstructures is such as to induce theliquid crystal director adjacent said microstructures to adopt twodifferent tilt angles in the same azimuthal plane; the arrangement beingsuch that two stable liquid crystal molecular configurations can existafter suitable electrical signals have been applied to said electrodes.7. device according to claim 1, wherein the microstructures are formedfrom a photoresist or a plastics material.
 8. A device according toclaim 1, wherein each microstructure extends to a distance in the rangeabout 200 nm to about 5 μm normal to said planar inner surface
 9. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein each microstructure extends to adistance in the range about 500 nm to about 5 μm normal to said planarinner surface
 10. A device according to claim 1, wherein eachmicrostructure extends to a distance in the range about 1 μm to about 5μm normal to said planar inner surface
 11. A device according to claim1, wherein each microstructure has at least one wall which is tiltedwith respect to said planar inner surface.
 12. A device according toclaim 1, wherein the microstructures are posts.
 13. A device accordingto claim 12, wherein each post extends substantially orthogonally tosaid planar inner surface and has a free end surface which issubstantially planar and substantially parallel to said planar innersurface.
 14. A device according to claim 12, wherein said posts are atleast one of different height, different shape, and differentorientation in different regions of the device.
 15. A device accordingto claim 1, wherein each microstructure has a width in the range about0.2 μm to about 3 μm.
 16. A device according to claim 1, wherein themicrostructures are spaced from about 0.1 μm to about 5 μm apart fromeach other.
 17. A device according to claim 1, wherein themicrostructures are holes in a layer of a material.
 18. A deviceaccording to claim 17, wherein each hole extends substantiallyorthogonally to said planar inner surface and has a bottom surface whichis substantially planar and substantially parallel to said planar innersurface.
 19. A device according to claim 17, wherein said holes are atleast one of different depth, different shape, and different orientationin different regions of the device.
 20. A device according to claim 17,wherein said material is a photoresist or plastics material.
 21. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein said microstructures are nottreated with or formed from a material which induces local homeotropicalignment of said liquid crystal material.
 22. A liquid crystal devicecomprising a first cell wall and a second cell wall enclosing a layer ofliquid crystal material; electrodes for applying an electric fieldacross at least some of the liquid crystal material; and a surfacealignment structure on a region of a substantially planar inner surfaceof at least the first cell wall, the alignment structure inducing theliquid crystal material in said region to adopt a desired alignment inan azimuthal plane, wherein said surface alignment structure comprises atwo dimensional array of upstanding posts formed from a photoresist or aplastics material and which are shaped and oriented to produce thedesired alignment; each post extending substantially orthogonally tosaid planar inner surface and having a free end surface which issubstantially planar and substantially parallel to said planar innersurface, the free end surface having a shape which has no plane ofsymmetry orthogonal to said azimuthal plane and to said planar innersurface.
 23. A device according to claim 22, wherein said end surfaceshape has a unique long axis.
 24. A device according to claim 23,wherein said end surface shape has a line of symmetry including saidlong axis.
 25. A liquid crystal device comprising a first cell wall anda second cell wall enclosing a layer of liquid crystal material;electrodes for applying an electric field across at least some of theliquid crystal material; and a surface alignment structure on a regionof a substantially planar inner surface of at least the first cell wall,the alignment structure inducing the liquid crystal material in saidregion to adopt a desired alignment in an azimuthal plane, wherein saidsurface alignment structure comprises a two dimensional array of blindholes formed in a layer of a photoresist or a plastics material andwhich are shaped and oriented to produce the desired alignment; eachhole extending substantially orthogonally to said planar inner surfaceand having a blinding surface which is substantially planar andsubstantially parallel to said planar inner surface, said blindingsurface and having a shape which has no plane of symmetry orthogonal tosaid azimuthal plane and to said planar inner surface.
 26. A liquidcrystal device comprising a first cell wall and a second cell wallenclosing a layer of liquid crystal material; electrodes for applying anelectric field across at least some of the liquid crystal material; anda surface alignment structure on a region of a substantially planarinner surface of at least the first cell wall, the alignment structureinducing the liquid crystal material in said region to adopt a desiredalignment in an azimuthal plane, wherein said surface alignmentstructure comprises a two dimensional array of microstructures which areshaped and oriented to produce the desired alignment; eachmicrostructure being substantially cylindrical or truncated conical andextending to a distance in the range about 150 nm to about 5 μm normalto said planar inner surface, said cylinder or cone having a base shapewhich has no plane of symmetry orthogonal to said azimuthal plane and tosaid planar inner surface; but not including any device in which thesurface alignment structure comprises a sinusoidal bigrating.
 27. Abistable liquid crystal device comprising a first cell wall and a secondcell wall enclosing a layer of liquid crystal material; electrodes forapplying an electric field across at least some of the liquid crystalmaterial; and a surface alignment structure on a region of asubstantially planar inner surface of at least the first cell wall, thesurface alignment structure providing an alignment to the liquid crystalmolecules, wherein said surface alignment structure comprises a twodimensional array of microstructures which are shaped and oriented toinduce the liquid crystal director adjacent said microstructures toadopt two different tilt angles in the same azimuthal plane; eachmicrostructure extending to a distance in the range about 150 nm toabout 5 μm normal to said planar inner surface and having a crosssectional shape which has no plane of symmetry orthogonal to saidazimuthal plane and to said planar inner surface; said microstructuresnot being treated with or formed from a material which induces localhomeotropic alignment of said liquid crystal material; the arrangementbeing such that two stable liquid crystal molecular configurations canexist after suitable electrical signals have been applied to saidelectrodes.
 28. A cell wall for use in manufacturing a liquid crystaldevice, comprising a substrate having a substantially planar surface andan alignment structure on a region of said surface for inducing liquidcrystal material in said region to adopt a desired alignment in anazimuthal plane, wherein said surface alignment structure comprises atwo dimensional array of microstructures which are shaped and orientedto produce the desired alignment; each microstructure extending to adistance in the range about 150 nm to about 5 μm normal to said planarinner surface and having no plane of symmetry orthogonal to saidazimuthal plane and to said planar inner surface; but not including anycell wall in which the surface alignment structure comprises asinusoidal bigrating.
 29. A method of manufacturing a cell wall for usein a liquid crystal display device, the method comprising applying aphotoresist material to a region of a substantially planar surface of asubstrate, exposing the applied photoresist material to a suitable lightsource through a suitably patterned mask, removing soluble photoresist,and hardening the exposed photoresist material to produce an alignmentstructure on a region of said surface for inducing liquid crystalmaterial in said region to adopt a desired alignment in an azimuthalplane, wherein said alignment structure comprises a two dimensionalarray of microstructures which are shaped and oriented to produce thedesired alignment; each microstructure extending to a distance in therange about 150 nm to about 5 μm normal to said planar inner surface andhaving no plane of symmetry orthogonal to said azimuthal plane and tosaid planar inner surface; but not including any method which produces asurface alignment structure comprising a sinusoidal bigrating.
 30. Amethod of manufacturing a cell wall for use in a liquid crystal displaydevice, the method comprising applying a plastics material to asubstantially planar surface of a substrate, and embossing an alignmentstructure on a region of said surface for inducing liquid crystalmaterial in said region to adopt a desired alignment in an azimuthalplane, wherein said alignment structure comprises a two dimensionalarray of microstructures which are shaped and oriented to produce thedesired alignment; each microstructure extending to a distance in therange about 150 nm to about 5 μm normal to said planar inner surface andhaving no plane of symmetry orthogonal to said azimuthal plane and tosaid planar inner surface; but not including any method which produces asurface alignment structure comprising a sinusoidal bigrating.
 31. Amethod of manufacturing a liquid crystal device, comprising securing afirst cell wall in accordance with claim 29 to a second cell wall, so asto produce a cell having spaced apart cell walls; filling the cell witha liquid crystal material, and sealing the cell; wherein an innersurface of at least one of the cell walls has electrode structuresthereon for applying an electric field across at least some of theliquid crystal material.